Rabat: Two Moroccan football players from the top-flight soccer side Ittihad Tanger have been missing at sea since Saturday after strong currents drifted their small yacht, a club official reported on Sunday.
According to club deputy president Anass Mrabet, the players were part of a group of five from the club who went cruising off the northern city of Tangier. Strong currents and heavy winds drifted their yacht away while they were swimming in deep waters.
“Three players have already been rescued on Saturday, while research is still ongoing for the missing Salman Harraq and Abdellatif Akhrif,” said Mrabet. He added that the players did not have buoys on them when they jumped from the small yacht to swim, according to accounts by the rescued players.
While Abdellatif Akhrif, 24, is already a full member of the squad, Salman Harraq, 18, was about to move up to the senior team this year, Mrabet mentioned.
Ittihad Tanger has been a part of the Moroccan top flight since 2015, winning the league title for the first and only time in the 2017-18 season. However, the club has struggled in the lower half of the standings in recent years.
